Board of Elections nixes Athens election day changes

Government and business reporter

The Athens-Clarke County Board of Elections voted to postpone its election day precinct plan, leaving the number of polling places from 2012 in place for the upcoming cycle.

A concept for the plan, which would have almost halved the number of election day polling places in favor of expanded early voting stations, was approved by the mayor and commission. The board of elections reversed course as reports of issues with state election software in other counties surfaced. Members cited issues with voter’s cards listing the wrong precincts or mistakenly labeling them felons.

“It seems wise to me to delay it until all the kinks are worked out,” elections chair Jean Blackstone said.

It leaves up in the air the early voting plans discussed by the board and Supervisor of Elections Gail Schrader, who was out of town Tuesday.

Blackstone and Alison McCullick, a board member, said the early voting plans are more flexible than election day plans. The board can handle those deliberations in-house, while election day precinct plans need mayor and commission approval.

They didn’t have a timeline for when the proposed changes will go back before the commission.

“The bottom line is, we’re very concerned about the voters,” Blackstone said.

Blackstone also shied away from pitches for two early voting sites at police stations after it became a third rail with some voting rights activists.

One such activist, Madelyn C. Powell, called the Lexington Road police station and Georgia Square Mall substation “hostile territory” for many potential voters.

The two stations were proposed early voting sites due to their locations and security offered for the voting machines.

Blackstone and McCullick said they’re happy to look at other early voting locations, but they need to meet similar criteria.